Basics

Clinical trials are studies in which researchers assign participants one or more interventions to evaluate their effects on health-related biomedical or behavioral outcomes. Often, the intervention is investigational, which means it is not yet approved for doctors to prescribe to patients, while some Clinical trials study approved therapies. Participants in clinical trials may choose to enroll for a variety of reasons. One common reason is to receive the newest, most cutting-edge treatment when other treatment options have failed or stalled. This can be a source of hope for individuals with rare diseases, aggressive forms of cancer, or other diagnoses with limited treatment options.